Chapter 1030: Constant Visitation
Proofreader: Papatonks
With a shaky brow behind the eagle mask, Zhuo Fan looked beyond the bars on reflex. The jail door opened with a creak and the unchanged figure of Wu Qingqiu stepped in before him.
With a pleased smile, he looked in excitement as he got closer and closer to Zhuo Fan.
Zhuo Fan shook his head with a chuckle, “What gave it away?”
“Of everyone on this heaven’s green earth, only brother Zhuo would ever feel so much love for junior sister Qingcheng. This goes both ways as well, with junior sister Qingcheng only ever trusting brother Zhuo from the bottom of her heart.”
Wu Qingqiu’s eyes shone and sighed, “I had a hard time believing that a good friend who has been gone for so many years would appear before me. It was thanks to senior Ouyang’s words that had me jump to such a wild conclusion. He said you would never harm junior sister out of love and he was right. That leaves only you who has such undying love for her. Thus the only solution, however impossible and no matter how unlikely the person, is the most probable. For which I have come to see if you’re real.”
Zhuo Fan shook his head. He traced the eagle mask and slowly lowered it, “Brother Wu is wise beyond his years. You found me out. Without me or Ye Lin back then, western lands would’ve had you as its best disciple. Brother Wu is without equal.”
“I knew it. Y-you’re really here…”
Ignoring his words, Wu Qingqiu took in his calm smile and sharp eyes as emotions overwhelmed him. He needed a good minute to get his heart to calm down, “It was truly a shot in the darkest of abysses, yet it ended up being real. Where have you been all these years, even leaving your wife behind?”
Zhuo Fan looked back and said nothing.
Wu Qingqiu glanced at the ever soothed yet vacant Chu Qingcheng on his arm with a crestfallen look, “A man always wants to leave his mark. Whatever business you had that needed finis.h.i.+ng, no one could’ve stopped you. Junior sister Qingcheng is very reasonable and would’ve let you go. The least you could’ve done was to come back safely and not do this to junior sister. Her hair not only turned white but she also closed her mind to everyone. As for you, I see you’ve recovered from your pain, by the looks of your fine black hair, doing quite well for yourself. I barely recognized you.”
Wu Qingqiu’s tone held some blame and anger at how Zhuo Fan treated Chu Qingcheng, who he saw as a good sister.
Zhuo Fan had no retort, taking in all of his rebuke.
“You have been someone we admire the most, especially by Yan Mo and of course by little junior brother.”
Wu Qingqiu glared at him, “You’ve excelled in mind and in strength, earning our full respect. When we heard that you had been killed, many of us wanted revenge. We had taken upon ourselves to take care of the widow you left behind. Even that rampant Yan Mo is thoughtful towards junior sister Qingcheng, all because everyone in our generation sees you as the true best in western lands. And what did you do? Faked your death and vanished for four-five years. You have let down junior sister Qingcheng who has always been hoping for your return, and you have let down your brothers who looked up to you.”
Wu Qingqiu’s tone only grew angrier.
Zhuo Fan took a deep breath, feeling shame, “Be it four or five years, it’s still a long time. I believed that I could take on everything myself. Qingcheng would’ve been in pain but then followed by relief as in a decade or two, her wound would begin to heal and in fifty years she would’ve moved on. A century later, she wouldn’t even remember me. The deepest love would be buried in the sands of time, right? But…”
Zhuo Fan felt his heart bleed every time he looked into those dull eyes of his wife.
“Junior sister Qingcheng didn’t even wait. The moment you were proclaimed dead, her heart died with you.” Wu Qingqiu was grave, “I just want to know, why didn’t you come back if you were safe? No matter how much you changed, she still could tell it was you even back at the stage. Maybe if you stay with her, you could open her heart again. In the matters of the heart, only the cause can heal it. No pill in this world can heal her, for you are her cure.”
Zhuo Fan shook his head in desolation, “I cannot see her, because I hope she will learn to forget me…”
“Why?”
“It’s for her own good. I don’t want to hurt her.” Zhuo Fan squeezed her hand, “If I die tomorrow, am I supposed to let her die with me?”
Wu Qingqiu started, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“My life isn’t my own and can be reaped at a whim. I just don’t want to burden her.” Zhuo Fan gave a long sigh.
Wu Qingqiu was stunned, “I may not know what trouble you’re in, but I can see your point. Are you saying that all you’ve done was for her to live?”
Zhuo Fan nodded, his eyes glazing from being weary.
“Sorry, I forgot myself there. I should’ve known you’d never be so cruel to junior sister Qingcheng.” Wu Qingqiu relented and bowed after some thought.
Zhuo Fan waved his hand, “It’s fine, telling me off actually made me feel a bit better. I am rather very grateful to you and all who took the time to look after Qingcheng these years.”
Wu Qingqiu shook his head, “It’s what a fellow brother does, all natural.”
“What natural, you don’t understand women at all!”
A nagging voice came out from behind, “If I may say so, and the eldest senior brother of Double Dragon Manor, you should be tearing into this cruel man for dumping his wife!”
The two looked back to see with a start that it was Shangguan Qingyan with red eyes from crying and looking at them with indignation.
Zhuo Fan was puzzled, “What are you doing here? What do you think the jail of Sea Bright Sect is? This isn’t a playground.”
“Yeah, I told seniors outside not to let anyone disturb us. Why can you…” Wu Qingqiu looked baffled at her.
Bang~
Shangguan Qingyan stomped on her way over, cursing in the meantime, “I know you’re Double Dragon Manor’s eldest senior brother Wu Qingqiu and that those seniors let you in because of your importance in Double Dragon Manor, but you’re just a disciple. I, however, am the young miss of the Shangguan clan, the apple of my father’s eye. So who do you think those oldies will favor more?”
Ugh!
Wu Qingqiu was lost for words.
[True, Double Dragon Manor is leading western lands, but I’m just a disciple within its grounds. No matter how much favor I have, it’ll last for a few decades tops. When the next batch of new guys come, I’ll soon be forgotten.]
While the Shangguan clan of eastern lands would always hold their young miss in the highest regard regardless. Their statuses were just worlds apart.
Those oldies would of course not step on eastern lands’ young miss’ toes the most.
Wu Qingqiu rolled his eyes and grumbled.
[Sea Bright Sect’s elders sure are tough.]
He failed to notice that they wouldn’t let a western lands disciple see their greatest suspect unless they were tough. It was all due to not wanting to p.i.s.s off Double Dragon Manor that was behind him that they let him through.
As p.i.s.sing off Double Dragon Manor meant p.i.s.sing off all of western lands. They couldn’t take the blame.
The same went for Shangguan Qingyan.
So this young missy stormed into the jail and right in Zhuo Fan’s face as she glared.
“Uh, young miss Shangguan, did I do something to anger you?”
Zhuo Fan looked confused.
Shangguan Qingyan’s lip trembled and nodded, “Yeah, you did, because you have no clue what women think!”
[Uh, come again?]
Zhuo Fan paused, turning to Wu Qingqiu for answers but he was just as clueless, offering an unhelpful shrug.
“Zhuo Fan, I know all about you and your wife, every single detail!”
Shangguan Qingyan’s eyes flared with anger, “You’ve gone through so much together, so why are you such a blockhead? Don’t you see what she wants?”
Zhuo Fan winced, turning grave…